Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Getting in Line: Impact of Indexing on Treatment Setup Accuracy for Prostate Radiotherapy","authors":"Jennifer Dang , Alvin Cuni , Colin Robertson , Vanessa Wan , Tara Rosewall","doi":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101932","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101932","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose/Aim</h3><div>Patient positioning is vital to the accurate delivery of radiation therapy treatments, especially in the era of ultra-hypofractionation and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Indexing immobilization devices improves positional consistency and may minimize setup errors. With daily onboard imaging, changes in positioning can be visualized and rectified translationally, however, rotations may not always be corrected without 6 degrees-of-freedom compliant linear accelerator beds. The purpose of this retrospective analysis is to determine whether utilizing indexing in patient positioning for prostate patients improves treatment setup in terms of rotations.</div></div><div><h3>Methods/Process</h3><div>Images from prostate patients treated between August 2023 to November 2023 with indexed and unindexed immobilization were reviewed. All patients were positioned using two standard pillows under head, a thin mattress, and a black leg immobilizer. Indexing was achieved using an in-house fabricated bar mounted at specific coordinates on each tabletop. The mounting position acted as an anchor to fix the leg immobilizer, allowing a reference for the distance from the inferior aspect of the leg immobilization (bottom of the foot) to the set-up mark. Patient planning CTs and cone beam CTs (CBCTs) acquired daily before treatment were restored in the radiation therapy electronic medical records and re-matched to determine the extent of rotations in all three directions from set-up. Student t-test was used to determine differences between the cohorts.</div></div><div><h3>Results or Benefits/Challenges</h3><div>A total of 988 CBCTs were successfully restored and rematched. The study consisted of four cohorts: Patients treated to their primary disease and pelvic nodal volumes with indexing (Indexed_Pelvis, n=330) and without indexing (Unindexed_Pelvis, n=306), and patients treated to their primary disease only with indexing (Indexed_Prostate n=200), and without indexing (Unindexed_Prostate, n=152). The maximum rotation exhibited was 4 degrees in the pitch for patients with indexed immobilization, whereas the maximum rotation for the unindexed cohorts was 5.3 degrees. The average yaw from Index_Pelvis was statistically higher than Unindexed_Pelvis (meanIndexed_Pelvis = 0.57, meanUnindexed_Pelvis = 0.38, p<0.001). The average pitch for Indexed_Pelvis was statistically lower than the average pitch for Unindexed_Pelvis (meanIndexed_Pelvis = 0.68, meanUnindexed_Pelvis = 1.29, p<0.001). No statistical differences were found for the roll exhibited by the Indexed_Pelvis and Unindexed_Pelvis cohorts. All rotations for the Indexed_Prostate group were statistically lower than the Unindexed_Prostate group (yaw: meanIndexed_Prostate = 0.32, meanUnindexed_Prostate = 0.46, p<0.001; pitch: meanIndexed_Prostate = 0.64, meanUnindexed_Prostate = 1.17, p<0.001; roll meanIndexed_Prostate = 0.37, meanUnindexed_Prostate = 1.0, p<0.001).</div","PeriodicalId":46420,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences","volume":"56 1","pages":"Article 101932"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144243232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ready for the Big Time: Provincial Formalization of an APRT(T) Class of Practice","authors":"Carol-Anne Davis , Darby Erler , Susan Fawcett , Gillian Graham , Donna Lewis , Fiona Mitchell , Natalie Rozanec , Christopher Topham , Nicole Harnett","doi":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101957","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101957","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose/Aim</h3><div>The growth of advanced practice in radiation therapy requires pan-Canadian infrastructure to standardize, streamline, and incentivize related roles across the country. A national certification model that certifies advanced radiation therapy practice has been in place since 2017, administered by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT). This confers the protected title of Advanced Practice Registered Technologist (Therapy), or APRT(T), on those meeting the requirements. The next logical step in solidifying safe and standardized advanced practice is to define a separate regulatory class for APRT(T)s in provinces where regulation of medical radiation technology (MRT) professions exists. The CAMRT convened a task group of radiation therapists with expertise in advanced practice and issues of self-regulation in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia (BC), and Nova Scotia, to prepare the way for future action on extended class practice for APRT(T)s.</div></div><div><h3>Methods/Process</h3><div>The CAMRT APRT(T) Regulation & Legislation Task Group set out to accomplish three tasks: 1)\tDefine the specific tasks and responsibilities that distinguish advanced practice from standard practice in radiation therapy, as it relates to formal regulated scopes of practice in each Ontario, Alberta, and Nova Scotia, and future regulation in BC. 2)\tEnlist the preliminary support of provincial regulatory bodies and other stakeholders for the Task Group work to define a separate regulatory class for APRT(T)s 3)\tMap provincial legislative and regulatory processes and prepare evidence and materials to formalize the new APRT(T) role Using the national APRT(T) competency profile, provincial legislation that defines controlled acts, restricted activities, and profession-specific regulations (depending on the province), and an inventory of medical directives and delegations held by currently certified APRT(T)s, the Task Group identified the areas where legislative and regulatory change would be required to formalize an APRT(T) class of practice. Following relevant guidance, documentation was prepared to initiate the process to create a separate class in each province.</div></div><div><h3>Results or Benefits/Challenges</h3><div>Recognizing a separate class of practice for APRT(T) will support consistent and sustainable implementation of this important role. APRT(T)s will be able to practice autonomously and to full scope without additional delegations, medical directives or support structures. A separate category of self-regulated practice may also incentivize centres to invest in new models of care that involve APRT(T)s. More importantly, in the interest of public safety, it will ensure that engagement in an advanced scope of radiation therapy practice is restricted to those formally confirmed to have the requisite knowledge, skills, and judgement through national certification. The differences in provincial legislatio","PeriodicalId":46420,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences","volume":"56 1","pages":"Article 101957"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strengthening the Field: Estimating Ontario's MR Simulation Requirements Using RT-QBP Data","authors":"Nareesa Ishmail ,&nbsp;Angelica Ramprashad ,&nbsp;Eric Gutierrez ,&nbsp;Kristin Berry ,&nbsp;Brian Liszewski ,&nbsp;Jason Pantarotto","doi":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101951","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101951","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose/Aim</h3><div>The use of magnetic resonance simulation (MR-SIM) in Radiation Therapy has increased over the last decade, however there is significant variation in access across the province. MR-SIM is an evolving strategy in radiation treatment planning, deemed essential for some disease sites while not adding value in others. Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) initiated a project to determine when MR-SIM is most beneficial based on clinician feedback identifying disease site groups and specific Radiation Treatment Quality Based Protocols that will benefit from MR-SIM.</div></div><div><h3>Methods/Process</h3><div>Since the implementation of Radiation Treatment-Quality Based Procedures (RT-QBP) funding in 2019, the Radiation Treatment Program (RTP) at Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) has been receiving protocol level information on every patient receiving radiation treatment in Ontario. RT-QBP data includes significant amounts of information including but not limited to disease site groups, sub-groups, intent (primary or metastatic), treatment modality (external beam, brachytherapy etc.), and even dose and fractionation. In March 2024, RT-QBP protocol lists were shared with various disease site experts to identify protocols that would require or benefit from MR-SIM.</div></div><div><h3>Results or Benefits/Challenges</h3><div>Upon review of RT-QBP protocols by disease site experts, the top 5 sites that benefit from MR-SIM include Head and Neck, Sarcoma, Central Nervous System, Gynecology and Genitourinary. The percentage of protocols that benefit ranged from 73% to 94%. Currently 4 of 16 radiation treatment facilities in the province have access to dedicated MR-SIM with the remaining sites gaining access through Diagnostic Imaging in various capacities, demonstrating the need for a strategic plan to ensure equitable access to aid improved accuracy in radiation treatment planning. This plan may include increasing MR-SIM access for centres with higher volumes or a shared resource approach for smaller centres that may not be able to fully utilize the capacity on MR-SIM. This work requires support from multiple programs and interprofessional partners.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions/Impact</h3><div>This work may lead to new quality indicators for Radiation Therapy treatment, with MR-SIM being one of many possible quality indicators for treatment. A refined approach is necessary to determine the next steps. However, the impact of increasing access to MR-SIM for patients is far reaching and the implementation of RT-QBP reporting can be leveraged to streamline the approach.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46420,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences","volume":"56 1","pages":"Article 101951"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cannabis Use in Cancer Patients Six Years Post-Legalization in Canada","authors":"Meagan Carty ,&nbsp;Andie Saade ,&nbsp;Kye Rajaraman ,&nbsp;Neyousha Shahisavandi ,&nbsp;Murali Rajaraman","doi":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101933","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101933","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Purpose/Aim&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Published literature suggests cannabis may be beneficial in the alleviation of symptoms related to cancer and radiation therapy treatment. There is limited research comparing use and attitudes regarding cannabis in this patient population prior to and after legalization of recreational cannabis. This study will assess cannabis use and attitudes towards cannabis in patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer through a questionnaire similar to that used at the same cancer centre in early 2018.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods/Process&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Patients were approached by their radiation therapists during their weekly review appointments at the cancer centre. Eligibility criteria included English-speaking patients over 18 years old undergoing radiation therapy for cancer. Participants received a study package containing the questionnaire in paper format, and a QR code for the online format. They were encouraged to anonymously complete the questionnaire using one of these methods during their appointment. A total of 202 questionnaires were completed, allowing comparability to a similar 2018 study which accrued 213. This methodology mirrored that of the previous study, enabling a direct comparison of results. All study procedures were approved by the Research Ethics Board of our institution.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results or Benefits/Challenges&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;In this study, 210 study packages were accepted by patients, with a response rate of 96%, compared to the 2018 study which had a response rate of 88%. When assessing the current cannabis use of the population, 35/202 (17%) identified as active users in the 2024 study, similar to the 2018 study. When asked on a scale of 1 to 5, “Are you interested in learning more about medicinal marijuana?”, where 1 equated to “not interested”, 83/202 (42%) indicated they were not interested, compared to 45/241 (21%) in the 2018 study. When asked “Where are you most likely to go if you wanted to learn more about cannabis use and cancer?”, 150/202 (74%) selected “From a cancer doctor, nurse, or radiation therapist”, similar to the 2018 study. When current cannabis users were asked “Why are you currently using cannabis?”, a variety of answers were chosen, with the most popular being: “It helps me sleep better”, “Recreationally/for enjoyment”, and “Pain”.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusions/Impact&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Based on these findings, it is clear that patients are interested in learning more about the use of medicinal cannabis from health care professionals, despite the overall interest declining since the legalization of recreational cannabis. Cancer patients currently using medicinal cannabis are using it for a wide variety of symptom and side effect management, not limited to pain, nausea, and fatigue. Next steps include developing resources for both staff and patients on safe use of medicinal cannabis in cancer patients receiving radiation therapy, and conducting education sessions for the department","PeriodicalId":46420,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences","volume":"56 1","pages":"Article 101933"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144243233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial Board/Masthead","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1939-8654(25)00113-4","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1939-8654(25)00113-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46420,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences","volume":"56 3","pages":"Article 101963"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144139019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Harmonizing Oncology Data: A Pan-Canadian Strategy for Radiotherapy Data Standards","authors":"Brian Liszewski ,&nbsp;Monique Ashe ,&nbsp;Jean-Pierre Bissonnette ,&nbsp;Erika Brown ,&nbsp;Renata Chmielewski ,&nbsp;Carol-Anne Davis ,&nbsp;Caitlin Gillan ,&nbsp;Eric Gutierrez ,&nbsp;Nareesa Ishmail ,&nbsp;Kristi MacKenzie ,&nbsp;Michelle Nielsen ,&nbsp;Jason Pantarotto ,&nbsp;Teri Stuckless ,&nbsp;Kathleen Surry ,&nbsp;Amanda Caissie","doi":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose/Aim</h3><div>Since 2018, collaborative international efforts led by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) have provided guidance on radiotherapy-specific (TG-263) and general oncology (Operational Ontology for Oncology—O3) data standards. While standardizing nomenclature offers significant benefits for capturing real-world data, challenges in implementation have revealed gaps between these standards and clinical practice. In response to such challenges, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) and the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) launched a Ppan-Canadian Ccancer Ddata Sstrategy in 2023, identifying the radiotherapy (RT) community as well-suited to lead the initial phase of this interprofessional initiative, which aims to make diagnostic and treatment data accessible and linkable.</div></div><div><h3>Methods/Process</h3><div>As part of CPAC/CCS's strategy to harmonize treatment data, funding was sought to support an early-adopter partnership between two jurisdictions, Ontario (ON) and Nova Scotia (NS), along with two national organizations: the Canadian Artificial Intelligence and Data in Radiotherapy Alliance (CADRA) and the Canadian Partnership for Quality Radiotherapy (CPQR).</div></div><div><h3>Results or Benefits/Challenges</h3><div>The Pan-Canadian Cancer Data Strategy aims to standardize RT data to enhance system-level decision-making and facilitate data sharing and benchmarking nationwide. CPAC/CCS have empowered CADRA and CPQR to lead this initiative. Formed in 2023 as a committee under the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP), CADRA operates as a formally interprofessional initiative, with a mandate to promote best practices in data and artificial intelligence. CADRA's current work includes assessing the feasibility of O3 standards in centres with varied resources and data readiness, focusing initially on the 15 ON RT programs and 2 NS RT sites (under one RT program) as early adopter jurisdictions. Work will contribute to pan-Canadian benchmarking by developing tools such as templates and scripts for centre self-audits. Now integrated as a standing committee within the Canadian Association of Provincial Cancer Agencies (CAPCA), CPQR brings top-down support to facilitate system-level change such as that being led by CADRA, using its established RT network to onboard additional jurisdictions in future phases.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions/Impact</h3><div>The pan-Canadian RT data initiative employs a community-of-practice approach, supporting early adopters through CPAC, CADRA, and CPQR guidance. Early insights will inform international efforts, highlighting both challenges and facilitators in implementing RT data standards.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46420,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences","volume":"56 1","pages":"Article 101942"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Management of Continuous Glucose Monitors and Insulin Pumps during Radiation Therapy","authors":"Vanessa Hribar,&nbsp;Cathy Neath,&nbsp;Patrick McKinstry,&nbsp;Bilal Ahmad,&nbsp;Uzma Awan,&nbsp;Joy Peltier","doi":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101944","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Purpose/Aim&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Insulin Pumps (IPs) or Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) may be damaged if they are worn during diagnostic imaging tests or during radiation therapy treatments due to exposure of electromagnetic fields as per manufacturers warnings. This means that blood sugar readings may not be accurate. In order to comply with the manufacturers recommendations, the sensor or transmitter attached to the patient needs to be removed before CT simulation and left off for all radiation treatments. Within our institution, there has not previously been a process in place to manage CGMs or IPs prior to radiation therapy treatments.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods/Process&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;An interprofessional working group was initiated in order to review the latest evidence on the subject and to determine a plan for implementing a process to align with manufacturers recommendations. There is a significant cost associated with removing the sensor or transmitter for patients without drug coverage, which also needed to be considered in the context of the removal recommendations. The working group collaborated with the Diabetes Education Program (DEP) at our institution to setup a pathway whereby Radiation Oncologists (ROs) could enter referrals to the DEP for Type 2 diabetic patients as needed for the purposes of ensuring timely support for radiation patients requiring alternate monitoring methods (finger stick testing). It was decided that the initial conversation with applicable patients should occur at the radiation consult appointment and the discussion would be facilitated by the RO and/or nurse. In order to help facilitate this conversation and to ensure patients were made aware of the risks associated with leaving the device(s) on, a patient education handout was developed by the working group and subsequently reviewed by our institution's Cancer Centre Patient Education Advisory Group which includes patient advisors. Checklists were built within the radiation oncology electronic record to document the presence of CGM and IP devices at CT Sim as well as to follow up at Day 1 treatment appointments. The radiation therapists at CT Sim confirm the patient has removed the devices, educating about risks if they decline to remove for CT Simulation and/or radiation treatments. Documentation to occur by radiation therapists in order to capture details of the conversations and to reinforce safety elements and ability to provide the patient education handout as needed.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results or Benefits/Challenges&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Implementation has streamlined expectations for our patients and reduced questions or concerns from the team as they have been addressed. There have been a few scenarios post implementation, where patients are unaware at the time of CT Simulation about the recommendation to remove their devices. In addition, there have been no referrals by ROs to the DEP after a 5-month period since implementation. Follow up is occurring to ensure ","PeriodicalId":46420,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences","volume":"56 1","pages":"Article 101944"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defining and Evolving MR Personnel in Radiation Therapy","authors":"Darby Erler ,&nbsp;Jay Detsky ,&nbsp;Stephen Russell ,&nbsp;Ling Ho","doi":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101958","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101958","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Purpose/Aim&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The superior soft-tissue contrast of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MR) has prompted radiation therapy (RT) departments globally to invest in MR simulators (MRSIM) and integrated MR-Linacs (MRL). Maintaining MR safety within RT departments adds a layer of complexity to operations, particularly staffing. Radiology guidelines stratify staff into 2 levels of MR personnel: Level 1 (those who work in an area that has an MR scanner) and Level 2 (those who have more extensive training and typically operate the MR technology). Historically, certified MR technologists (RTMR) have been identified as Level 2 MR personnel and assume responsibility for machine operation and for MR safety. It has been recognized, however, that this strategy may not meet the needs of complex hybrid MR settings such as RT given the type and number of personnel that are employed. The aim of this work was to define a pathway for radiation therapists (RTT) who are not certified as RTMRI to take on the responsibilities of Level 2 MR personnel including operation of MR technology and MR safety.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods/Process&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Upon implementation of our MR planning program in 2016, all RTTs who were not certified as RTMR were identified as Level 1 personnel and RTMR as Level 2 personnel. Although, Level 1 personnel do not work on any MR technology, they are required to complete basic MR safety training on a yearly basis to ensure that they do not constitute a danger to themselves or others in the MR environment. As our MR fleet grew to 3 MRSIM (0.5T, 1.5T and 3T) and 1 MRL, alternate pathways to upskill RTTs to Level 2 responsibility were explored. In order to define requirements of Level 2 MR personnel, an environmental scan was conducted to understand the approaches in other jurisdictions. The 2 main commonalities were a didactic component that included MR physics and MR safety as well as defined number of supervised MR contact hours. The University of Toronto's MR-integrated Radiation Therapy (MRIRT) training program was leveraged for the advanced MR didactic knowledge but pre-requisite rotations and mandatory contact hours needed to be established.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results or Benefits/Challenges&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The benefits of identifying RTTs other than RTMR as Level 2 is that it increases the pool of MR trained staff who can work in the MR areas. This allows more flexibility in staff scheduling and decreases the need for overtime. The transition has facilitated a more equal sharing of tasks in the MRL workflow and an overall general increase in MR safety knowledge across the department. Some of the challenges include RTMR staff feeling underappreciated, skepticism on knowledge base of RTTs following new pathway and the general misunderstanding of the legislation that governs practice in Ontario by the RT community as a whole.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusions/Impact&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The pathway to assume role of Level 2 on MRL and MRSIM are slightly dif","PeriodicalId":46420,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences","volume":"56 1","pages":"Article 101958"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Getting Schooled: Insights from an Exploratory Survey on the Academic Preparation for Advanced Practice Radiation Therapy Roles","authors":"Maria P. Dimopoulos ,&nbsp;Samantha Skubish ,&nbsp;Yat Tsang ,&nbsp;Caitlin Gillan ,&nbsp;Nicole Harnett","doi":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101920","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101920","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose/Aim</h3><div>As the demand for the Advanced Practice Radiation Therapist (APRT) grows, understanding the preparation pathways for these roles is essential. Currently, there are no APRT education programs in the US or Canada. This study analyzed the APRT perspective on the nature of education and training programs currently being accessed internationally as part of the preparation for advanced practice radiation therapy.</div></div><div><h3>Methods/Process</h3><div>An exploratory survey was distributed via REDCap to members of the APRT International Community of Practice and US APRT Working Group from July 2 to August 15, 2024, with a total of 56 participants. Demographic data, educational backgrounds, and responses related to advanced practice duties were collected. Statistical associations were analyzed concerning age, years in practice, degree completion, and formal education program attendance. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses was conducted to identify key themes related to APRT preparation.</div></div><div><h3>Results or Benefits/Challenges</h3><div>Participants were predominantly aged 35-54 (69%) and practice in 11 countries, the majority in Canada (34%) and the UK (34%). Notably, 94% of respondents did not assume advanced practice duties until after at least five years of practice. A significant association was found between the year of degree completion and formal APRT education enrollment (p=0.01), with a positive correlation for those completing degrees after 2015. The majority of participants (84%) completed an advanced degree, however only 45% of those who completed an advanced degree attended a formal education program specifically for their advanced practice role. Of those who did not attend a formal degree for their advanced practice role, the top three reasons were that (in descending order of frequency) there was no suitable program available, that it was not necessary for the position, or that they still plan to complete an APRT specific degree in the future. Thematic analysis of open-ended responses revealed that participants tended to make comments related to the 4 established pillars of advanced practice (education, research, clinical practice, leadership and management). Participants valued clinical judgment, research skills, and technical skills as graduate program essentials. They noted development of clinical expertise, clinical judgement, clinical assessment and psychosocial aspects as shortcomings of existing APRT education programs.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions/Impact</h3><div>These international data suggest a pressing need for the development of an optimal APRT preparation model, incorporating essential clinical practice components and addressing identified educational gaps. Future work will include content analysis of existing programs, literature review, and focus groups with stakeholders to develop an ideal APRT preparation model for the US and Canada.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":46420,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences","volume":"56 1","pages":"Article 101920"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying Barriers to Low Completion Rates of Symptoms Screening via Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (ePROMs) among Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy Treatments at Stronach Regional Cancer Centre (SRCC)","authors":"Agnes Cheung ,&nbsp;Breanna McGilvray ,&nbsp;Dr. Zahra Kassam ,&nbsp;Dan Pineda ,&nbsp;Giovanna Wu ,&nbsp;Asvena Sriharan ,&nbsp;Stella Michael ,&nbsp;Natalie Rozanec","doi":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101938","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmir.2025.101938","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Purpose/Aim&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Symptom screening, branded as Your Symptoms Matter (YSM), via Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) is a vital component of cancer care. It is well documented in the literature that when completion rates for PROMs are low, it can lead to incomplete patient-reported data limiting healthcare providers' understanding of patient symptom burden. This can ultimately hinder effective and timely symptom management, access to resources crucial to providing personalized care and have negative impacts on quality of life. As per OH-CCO recommendation, patients are encouraged to complete PROMs surveys via online or at touchscreen kiosks at the Cancer Centres. Current completion rates via electronic PROMs (ePROMs) remain low at our department. Majority of patients rely on physical paper form – which imposes problems including waste of resources that are already available, increased administrative workload for staff as they have to transcribe results manually, as well as accuracy of the data can be compromised during manual data entry. Improvement of YSM completion rates is a strategic goal for our Cancer Centre to ensure compliance of best practice in providing patient-centered care. This project will analyze our current YSM completion rate via ePROMs and explore the major barriers of using ePROMs by patients in our centre.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods/Process&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;To understand our current YSM completion rates via ePROMs, we will be extracting PROMs completion data from the electronic patient record (MosaiQ) and find out the proportion of patients completing YSM utilizing ePROMs. To better understand and identify the root causes of low YSM completion rates via ePROMS, a survey outlining the major barriers of using ePROMs by patients from the literature, will be performed by both staff and patients. We will then further analyze these causes utilizing different diagnostics tools including a Fishbone diagram, 5-Why's as well as a Pareto to identify, analyze, and address the root causes of problems by providing clear data and insights. A driver diagram will also be created based on these findings, where change ideas will be developed and implemented in the next phase of the project.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results or Benefits/Challenges&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;YSM completion rate via ePROMs for the radiation therapy department during April to June of 2024 was low, particularly, completion of YSM using kiosks was below 20 during the analyzed period. An anonymous staff survey was conducted among forty-five radiation therapists, as well as four oncology nurses to identify the top three causes that staff consider as main causes for low utilization of touchscreen computer kiosks. A total of seventeen completed surveys were collected in the end.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusions/Impact&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The three root causes contributed to low completion rate of YSM via ePROMs in our department include: “No one had explored other potential locations for the touc","PeriodicalId":46420,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences","volume":"56 1","pages":"Article 101938"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144242625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}